Chicken Fried Steak and eggs
Bamboo Cutting and Serving board

Banbu Sushi La Mesa

We heard that a new sushi restaurant had opened in La Mesa not long ago. So yesterday Stan, you know, the non fish eater, the ol' meat and potatoes nothing weird looking on my plate guy, asked daughter Vicky and me if we wanted to go try it out. He knows we like sushi and try to eat it at least once when we get together. Whatta guy.

Updated Oct 2nd read here

The restaurant is called Banbu Sushi.

Banbu entrance

Wanna come peek inside?

It sure is nice and clean.

Banbu sushi bar

Banbu sushi bar 2

The center of the restaurant is round with the sushi bar on one side

Banbu bar

and the wet bar on the other.

Miso & salad

Vicky and I shared a mixed sushi plate that came with soup and salad. The salad had a ginger dressing, I really loved the salad and I would go back for just that, but it was too "gingery" for Vicky. The miso soup was o.k. not the best I've ever had and I would not go back for just the soup.

Now on to the sushi plate. 10 pieces of sushi. It was $21.95. It came with soup and salad.

Mixed sushi plate

It sure looked beautiful.

Please forgive me if I don't get the Japanese names just right, I'm trying.

Mixed sushi close one

I'm a little more adventurous than Vicky so I ate the Ikura (salmon roe) and the Eel.

MIxed sushi close 2

I also ate the Tako,(squid) the Ebi (shrimp) and Vicky had the Hamachi. (yellowtail) and the Maguro (tuna)

Mixed sushi 3

I think the one in front is Hirame (halibut) and you can barely see the edge of the Sake (salmon) I ate that one too. :-)

You can't say I didn't give it all a good try. I'm sorry to say that we will not be back, unless of course I get hungry for the salad, it was wonderful.
As Vicky put it, "it didn't melt in my mouth" We are admitted sushi amateurs, but when you are used to Maguro that is smooth and creamy and melt in your mouth wonderful, that is the standard by which you judge others.

I've had the Tako (squid) before, but this was inedible. After chewing and chewing I finally had to discreetly remove the bite from my mouth. Thankfully I didn't put the whole bite in my mouth as I've been known to do.

We also had what else but,

California rolls

California roll.

California rolls close

This was pretty good. Vicky ordered it thinking that she could get her dad to try some. No way Jose.

He ordered the Teriyaki beef $18.00 This came with soup and salad also. He had the onion soup.

Onionsoup

This was delicious, worth going back for.

Beef teriyaki

He really liked the teriyaki flavor and the vegetables but the meat was not tender.

Our waiter Mike was very good, we have no complaints about the service.
The seating around the front side where the sushi bar is only accomodates parties of two. I think I saw maybe two tables for four, so if you come with friends you get seated in the back with no view of the sushi bar.

So if you want to give them a try here's where they are.

Banbu address

I'm sad, I so wanted to like it. 

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